Process of producing asphaltic products



L. KIRS'CHBRAUN.

PROCESS OF PRODUCING ASPHALTIC PRODUCTS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.16.|918. RENEWED APR. 29,1922.

194361450. Patented Nov. 21, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

L. KIRSCHBRAUN. PROCESS 0F PRODUCING ASPHALTIC PRODUCTS. LlcAloN mso rsa. 1s. 1918. unav/En APR. 29.1922.

Patented Nov. 2l, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Nov. 2l,- lZZ.

LESTER xxnscnBRAUN, or cnrcaeo', ILLIN'- rs PROCESS OF PRODUCING ASPHALTIC PRODUCTS.'

Application med February 16,. 1918,v serial No. 217,628."

i To alliiiwom may con/cem.'

Beitknown that I, LESTER KmsoHBRAUN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residin in the c1ty of Chicago, county of Cook, tate *fof Illinois, have lnvented certain new and 'is converted into solid or semisolid products any way aecting the 35 v by means of the use of super-heated steam injected directly vinto contact with theoil.

I lhave heretofore invented and patented a certain invention relating to the produc-` tion of asphaltic products from the treatment of super-heatedsteam. In. the practical carrying out of said process more or less difficulty was experienced, in preventing the emulsification of the condensed superheated steam and the oily vapors after they had passed through theA condenser. The,

heavy distillates became so emulsi-ed with the waterycondensate that it was too expensive to attempt to separate them. This, of course, tended to impair the efficiency of the process as far as the recovery of the distillates was concerned. The salient object of the present invention is to provide a simple method of preventing this emulsification without at the same tune in any way impairing the eflioiency ofithe process or in production of the asphaltic products. At the same time the process is very materially improved commercially, in that. the cost of operation is very materiall v reduced By means ofthe present invention the oily vapors, which to a large extent have a boiling point above' of water, are first con-l `densed and separated from the steam 4and the boiling point then the latter, after being freed from the oily vapors, is itself condensed or may be used for other purposes. its, for example, it might be returned to thesuper-heater. Also by means of the present invention the incoming fresh oil to be treated may be utilized as a cooling o r condensing medium and at `the 'same t1me-be itself pre-heated prior to its entering the stills. If desired water maybe used as a condensing medium instead of oil, with the object of the water absorbing the heat from the outgoing vapors and being converted into steam for use 1n the super-heater. Other objects of the indary Renewed April 29, 1922. serial No. 557,454.

vention will appear from the more detailedv description of the process and apparatus. Theprocess' may be operated as either a continuous or intermittent one, and is well adapted for the distillation of various kinds and gravitiesof oils, in which the difficulties arising from emulsication are present or in which itis desired to conserve heat.

The invention .will be understood ffrom 4the drawings forming a part of 'the x.s1'eeci cation and the description thereof.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a more or less I diagrammatic plan view. of the apparatus used in carrying. out the invention.

F 1g. 2 is a. side/elevation of the one set of primaryand secondary condensers on an en- Fig. 3 is across same.

, The 'drawings l, 2, 3 ,ande designate a sectional view of the 'battery ofstills whichvmay beof the usual horizontal boiler type and mounted in the usual furnace construction, and connected for either continuousl 'or batch distillation. l', 2,`3, and fi designate'the primary condensers for the corresponding stills, and A 1, 2, 3 and 4 designate secondary condensers for the saidstills.-

Both the primaryand secondary condensers take the form of closed coils shown more clearly in Figs. 2 and 3.

' The coils ofthe condensers are inclined as shown in Fig. 3 so as to readily drain the oil and steam or water passing therethrough.

The primary condenser coils are enclosed in tanks or condenser boxes 5, and the seconcondenser coils in similar tanks 6.

Between each condenser is interposed a receiving tank 7..-

primary and secondary l Describing now the piping connections be-v tween these stills and condensers, the rear end of the stills is connected with pipes 8, in each of which is interposed a valve 9. When the valves 9 are opened, '.the stills may be run as a battery, and, of course, by closing the `valves 9 any one or more-of the stills may-be cut out of the battery or eachstill operated as a lbatch or unit still.

'Each still is connected to the primary condenserz-by an ordinary. vapor line 10, in each of which is interposed a throttle valve 11. These valves are normally opened, but may be so 're lated as to maintain a back pressure on t e stills if desired.

The condensate passes from the primary condenser -into the receiving ktank by pipe 12ai'1d' thence the still 'uncondensed vapors .pass to the correspondlng secondary condenser by means of pipe 13.-

A' valve 14 may be inter-posed in the pipe 12 and a valve 15 in the pipe 13, operating, if de'sired, in substantially the same Way. as

- thevalve 11.

The lower end in each receiving tank 7 i is .provided Witha dra'vx7 off pipe 1 6 controlled by throttle" valve 17. The outlet end of each secondary'condenser is connected'to a pipe 18, which pipes 18 inturn connect to a manifold 19,- leading to-a receiving or collecting 'tank 20.

If desired a vacuum may be4 maintained -`by connecting the pipes 18 to a .header 21, they header -21 in turn being connected to a vacuum pump 22. Thisl header is located above the draw off pipes from the secondary' condensersso that it will not draw liquid.

Describing now the manner of furnishing the condensing medium to the tanks' and .56', cold residuum is drawn from a supply of the `tank 2, and linally by pipe 28 into the tank 6 of condenser 1-.' From there the oil passes by means of vcross pipe 29 into and'through Atheseries of tanks 5 by means 1 of the connecting pipes 30,. 31 and 32, the

oil passing in From the tank 5 of the condenser 4', the oil passes intothe main delivery header 33. This header 33 is connected to the still No. 1, the oil passing from still No. 1 to stills 2, 3 and 4 by means of cross ,pipes 8 heretofore described.

The foregoing is the connection used When the process is operated as a continuous process instead. of a batch.

Describiig'now the additional connections and valves needed in the event that it is desired to operate as av batch process, the header 33 is provided with a valve 34, which is closed, and the header 33 out of operation.

The tanks 5 are now connected to the respective stills, 1, 2, 3 and 4, by delivery pipes 35, in each of which is interposed a valve 36.

i The valves 36 are all openvvhen the process 29 controlled by valve 38; V each of which is interposed is operated asa batch process, and closed whenoperated as acontinuous process.

4The primary and secondary condensers 1" and 1 are provided with. a transfer pipe The other condensers are connected by transfer pipes 37 in valves- 38 are closed whenthe. process is operated as a continuous process, but can open when the process is'operated as a batch process. 1 v

the direction shown by the arrows. f

.the receivingtanks.

not condensed, for the reason that the temv in the manner heretofore 'dium through rst the a valve 38. The

The pipes'26, 27, 28, 30, 31land 32, inclusive,'are also provided withfvalves 3'9, which valves 39 are openwhenthe process is operated as a contlnuous one,. and closed for pipe 40 is. connected batch 'operation.`

For batch pperatlona tothe pipe 25, and is connected to thetanks terposed a valvev 42,. `The. valve"s 42 are closed for continuous operation and openfor batch operation. A valve 43 is inter? posed in' the header 40 .so as to out the latter out of operation when vthe apparatus is be- 'inused as a continuous process.

uperheated steamis injected .into eachstill through means of main headers 44 connected'to pipes 45 lying adjacent the bottom of the stills, each of the pipes 45 being provided with perforated cross as is well understood in theart.

Describing now-the operation of the process, the steam is injected into the oil in the branches 46,

vious Patent, No.' 1,194,750..

The production of thel ductile asphaltde` u still in the manner described in my said pre..

particularly conof .the heavy dis` tillates which leave the stills n the' carrying out ofsaid process.

ing point substantially abovethat of water,

pass into the primary condenser coils, andv the oil is there condensed and collected in The steam, however, is

The heavy diSf-,i11ates,-which have a bonoff from the receivlngtank and collected and saved. These distillates adapted for theJ manufacture of high grade lubricating oil and wax.

The steam vapors pass from-'the receiving are particularly jill tank into the secondary condenser coils,and

condenser boxes ofthe secondary coils i'sv vare. there condensed and drawn o Thamaintained at a temperature below .the boil l ing point of Water readily condense.

If desired, a vacuum may bemaintained,

described to facilitate distillation andthe travel vof the vapors through the system. By regulating the feed of the oil which serves as a'condensing mecentral and then the primary condensers, the-temperature ,of the so that the steam will condensers can be controlled. For example 'the oil 4should be fed through the secondary condenser so as to be below the boiling point of water and through the primary-condenser inaefizso g so as to be heated above the boiling .point of and regulating the temperature of the priwater. l mary condensers to a point above the boiling From the foregoing it will be seen that I pointof water by passing said cooling me- .'eifectively revent they emulsiication of the dium from the secondary -through the priwatery an oily vapors-in the condensers. mary condensers,"condensing the oil in the This is possible for the reason that the emulprimary condensers which has a boiling sication does not take place until conden-v point above that of Waterbut below that of sation of the steam ensues. it isy of course, the temperature of the primary 'condensers apparent that the utilization of the residuum and 'condensing the steam in the secondary i0 as the condensing medium is a pronounced condensers.-

economy in operation, inasmuch as the 2. A process of treating petroleum oilto residuum is pre-heated by' the condensation prevent emulsiication thereof, consisting in of the vapors. 'distilling the oil in a still, simultaneously If desired, the steam, instead of passing injecting super-heated steam into the body i through the secondary condensers, could be ofthe oil, passing the oil vapors through a taken directly from the receiving tanks back primary Vand asecondary condenser, regulatto the superheatersl This can be readily acing the temperature on the secondary concomplished by merely closing the valves'38, denser to a temperature below the boiling and pumping the steam from thereceiving point of water by passing a cooling medium tanks back to the superheaters. there-through and regulating the temperal claim as my invention: tureof the primary condenser to a point 1. A process` of treating petroleum oil to above the boiling point of Water by passing prevent emulsiioationthereof, consisting in said cooling medium from the secondary distilling the oil in a plurality of stills through the primary condenser, condensing simultaneously injecting super-heated steam the oil in the primary condenser which has into the body of the oil, passing the oil a boiling point above that of water but bevapors through a plurality of primary and low that of the temperature of the primary secondary condensers, regulating'the tempercondenser and condensing the steam in the ature on the secondary condensers to a temsecondary condenser.

- perature below the boiling point of water by passing a cooling medium there-through LESTER KIRSCHBBAUN. 

